Guzzo announces retirement from North Carolina State

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Bruce Winkworth (North Carolina State Sports Information)
05/10/2004


RALEIGH, N.C. ¯ NC State's Bob Guzzo has announced his retirement as  head wrestling coach, effective May 31. He will remain with the program in an advisory capacity until a new head coach is named.    Associate head coach Carter Jordan, who has been with the program since the 1997-98 season, has been named interim head coach.    Guzzo steps down as head coach following a distinguished 30-year career filled with honors, awards and outstanding accomplishments. With a dual-match record of 356-183-7, Guzzo retires as the second-winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He went 115-50 against ACC competition, and once had a 19-match unbeaten streak against conference foes.    Guzzo won 13 ACC Tournament championships and finished first in the conference's regular-season standings 12 times. He finished first in the regular season and/or won the conference tournament 16 times in 30 years. He was named ACC Coach of the Year six times since the award was established in 1986. He had just two losing seasons, and 12 times in the last 25 years, his teams finished in the national top 25.    Unlike many coaches, Guzzo will go out on top. His teams won three ACC championships in the last four years, and finished first in the ACC's regular-season race four times in the last five seasons. The Wolfpack won 22 of its last 28 ACC dual matches under Guzzo, and produced 16 indivudual ACC champions in the last five years. Since an All-ACC team was established in 1986, 98 NC State wrestlers have been named All-ACC, including seven this past season, and 29 over the last five seasons.    In his 30 years in Raleigh, Guzzo coached 86 individual ACC champions, 24 All-Americans, and four national champions. In 1988, Scott Turner won the national title at 150 pounds and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships, which is college wrestling's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Matt Reiss won the NCAA crown at 167 as a freshman in 1980, and Tab Thacker bested all heavyweights in 1984. In 1993, Sylvester Terkay concluded a perfect 41-0 season with the NCAA championship at heavyweight.    Two other Guzzo-coached wrestlers were national runners-up. Thirteen of Guzzo's wrestlers were named Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Tournament, and one ¯ 1988 national champion 150-pounder Scott Turner ¯ was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championship tournament.    Throughout his career, Guzzo was widely respected around the country for his innovations and promotion of college wrestling. In 1981 at Columbus, Ohio, he coached the East team in the prestigious East-West All-Star Classic. In Guzzo's first season at NC State (1974-75), he led the Pack to a 12-5 record and was named the National Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News.    Guzzo attended East Stroudsburg (Pa.) State University, where he wrestled at 123 pounds. As a junior, the Easton, Pa., native was unbeaten, claimed the Pennsylvania State College championship and earned All-America honors. As a senior, Guzzo won the 1966 NAIA national championship at 123 pounds. He graduated in 1966 with a degree in health and physical education. Prior to coming to NC State, Guzzo coached wrestling and taught physical education for five years at the State University of New York at Canton.    Guzzo lettered in wrestling, football and track at Wilson High School in Easton, twice winning district wrestling championships at 130 pounds. He won 10 varsity letters in all and served as team captain of three sports. Guzzo, who celebrated his 60th birthday on May 8,  is married to the former Janis Fish of Easton, Pa. They two daughters, Gina and Valerie. Guzzo also has a son (Robert) and daughter (Kristi) from a previous marriage.